Insanity
by Kjerstin Marie
Summary: They had gone to far, and Katie has had it. And she knows just who to blame. Travis Stoll. But are his motives as bad as she thought, or was he just trying to get up the nerve to do something they never knew they wanted? Tratie oneshot.


Miranda Gardiner looked at her half sister in hesitation and slight fear.

"I don't know… it seems a bit extravagant."

"You bet it's extravagant," Katie Gardner shouted, flinging an arm at their… _newly _remodeled cabin in blatant fury. "And that's _just their style_!"

The Demeter Cabin was in shambles. There was toilet paper strewn _all across _it and spray paint graffiti made it stick to the walls and proclaimed very—nasty things to all of Camp Half-Blood. There were certain spots on the area surrounding the cabin that sprayed a variety of stink bombs, paint, mud, and (if you were lucky) water at anyone who stepped on it. There were things that had previously _inside _the cabin that were now thrown _outside _of it, and on their oh-so-precious roof, were chocolate Easter bunnies and painted eggs.

Miranda supposed that that _was _a bit of a giveaway.

Miranda sighed. "It could have been anyone, Katie. The important thing is—"

"I know it _could have been anyone_, but it was them! Those _idiotic _Stoll brothers!"

"—that it's fixable," Miranda continued, trying to keep the situation at hand from turning catastrophic.

"And you wanna know why they did this?" Miranda sighed; it seemed her sister was set against being calmed down. She was just thinking that she didn't want to know why when Katie continued. "They want to _drive me insane_! I swear on Demeter, that's their goal in life! To _pester _me!"

"Come on Katie, it's not like you're the only one they prank. Now, let's get started on cleaning this up—"

"And it wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for _him. _Connor's not so bad—no, he has limits and common sense. It's that _Travis Stoll_."

Miranda shook her head, she knew that Katie wasn't listening to her, but this was just overkill.

"Katie, pl—"

"Well, I've had it! This is the last straw! This means _war_," Katie growled.

"Katie! Calm down. Think about this _logically _for a second. Even if it _is _the Stolls' work," at this she swore she heard Katie _growl_, "do you _really _wanna start something with them now?"

Katie paused in her pacing and seemed to consider this for a moment before letting a blinding smile light up her face. Miranda feared for her sister's sanity and for her life. "You know, Miranda, you're right. What was I thinking? This needs to be handled in an _entirely _different manner."

Miranda sighed in relief. "Good, I'm glad you see it that way. Now, would you please help me—Wait! Where are you going?" she called as she realized that Katie was marching _away _from the disaster zone.

"To give Travis Stoll _a piece of my mind!_"

Miranda was about to stop her, when she thought better of it and shook her head in exasperation. "Be careful," she muttered as she strode over to the mess, careful to watch where she stepped, "I don't think you have much left to give."

* * *

><p>"Travis Stoll!" Katie called for the fifth time after she had <em>finally <em>found the desired son of Hermes.

Travis picked up his pace—again.

Katie was having none of that. She ran up to him and speed walked to keep up with the pace. "TRAVIS!"

Travis turned his head to look at her, mock surprise dominating his face as he pretended to just now notice her. "Katie! What a lovely surprise!" he swallowed when he saw the murderous look on the daughter of Demeter's face. He still found this oddly attractive. "How—how are you?"

And if Katie hadn't snapped before, she sure as Hades did now. "You KNOW how I am Stoll! What did you _do _to my cabin?" she demanded, making someone fear for their life for the second time that day.

"What do you mean?" Travis asked, hiding any signs of guilt as he continued on his path to the forest.

"Don't play dumb—well, scratch that. Just don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about!" she continued to rant, which was made hard since she was already out of breath. _Gods _was he fast. "And could you please stop walking? I'm _trying _to talk to you!"

Travis rolled his eyes, walking even faster just to annoy her. "No, you're not. You're yelling at me… quiet successfully I might add. And no, I can't stop walking. I have to take _this _to Zeus' Fist," he said, lifting something up to show her.

This was the first time she noticed he was carrying a box of weapons… probably not a good time to talk (_yell_) at him, then. Though, she got a feeling that Travis would _never _hurt her, despite the fact that she had nothing to back this feeling up, or why she even _thought _it.

"Then I'll come with you."

Travis slowed slightly to look at her in confusion. She sounded _calm _for a second there, and he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. He just shrugged. "Suit yourself."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you got us <em>lost<em>!" Travis heard for the twelfth time. He sighed.

Katie had come to yell at him, and she had delivered. And now she had one more thing to yell at him about.

They were lost. In the North Woods. Or… at least he _hoped _they were in the North Woods…

"Well if you weren't _yelling at me _maybe I would have remembered the way back!"

"Oh please," Katie retorted, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. "You couldn't 'remember' your way out of a paper bag."

Travis gritted his teeth. "Okay then, Your Highness, why don't _you _find your way out?"

Katie turned her chin up. "I _will_."

Travis gestured for her to go forward with a bow, snickering as she stomped past him.

They walked for another five minutes before he intervened.

"So, where are we now?"

"Don't _patronize _me Stoll," Katie replied, throwing a glare at him over her shoulder. "I know exactly—"

"Katie!" Travis leapt forward to grab her arm just seconds before they both fell into a hole. He automatically braced himself to take the impact for both of them.

"Ooff!" Katie let out a breath. She looked down to see that she was lying on Travis, and that he looked pained, while she felt nothing. "Travis?"

"Hmmm?" he grunted, not moving.

"This is your entire fault you idiot!"

Travis rolled his eyes. "How so?"

"If you hadn't pranked my cabin, I wouldn't have looked for you, and I wouldn't have went with you, therefore we would have never been lost!"

Travis raised an eyebrow at the flushed girl, as her caramel hair fell in waves around their faces. "Quite the explanation. But you _were _the one who fell in the hole. I _did _try to stop you, too."

"I knew it!" she exclaimed in triumph.

Travis furrowed his brow in confusion. "You knew _what_?"

"That _you _were the one who pranked us! You didn't deny it!" She grinned challengingly at him.

Travis rolled his eyes. "Well actually, Connor help—"

"_But you did it! _You always do it! Please just stop it already!" Katie sobbed.

Travis blinked in shock. It seemed the day had finally caught up to Katie, and that it was too much.

He sighed, making a decision that could change the rest of his life.

He tenderly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stared into her brown eyes with an expression Katie had never seen in his blue ones.

"Have you ever thought that maybe there was a reason I love picking on you so much?" he whispered softly.

Katie sniffed. "Because you hate me and want to drive me insane."

Travis laughed quietly. "No, I just never had the courage to do what I _really _wanted to do."

"What was that?" Katie whispered back, finding herself staring at his lips in sudden fascination.

"I just wanted to ask… will you go to the fireworks with me, Katie?"

"Yes."

It was hard to say who was more shocked. Katie's answer had come automatically, without hesitation or a second thought. Even when, just seconds ago she had been hating him.

But, Hades, love and hate _were _awfully close.

Maybe that's why she leaned forward and kissed the lips she had been so mesmerized with.

Travis thought the fireworks had come early.

But the moment didn't last as long as he had hoped.

"Wait," Katie said, pushing him back as something came to her. "How did you know that hole was there?"

"Oh… um…"

"Travis," she warned.

"Connor and I made it," Travis finally admitted, looking anywhere but at her. "To store stuff in."

"Travis!" Katie complained, smacking his shoulder and standing up. Travis followed suit.

"On the bright side, I know where we are now."

Katie just groaned.

"You still love me though, right?"

Katie laughed and shook her head. "I never said I love you. I just said I'd go to the fireworks with you."

"Was that a yes?" Travis wanted to know.

He took the kiss she gave him as confirmation.

**A/N So, I felt like making a Tratie one-shot. For those of you who are reading TTP, this kind of matched up with how I said they started going out. **

**I hope you liked it, and I'd love it if you reviewed and let me know what you think! **

**Thanks for reading!**

**~K.M.**


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